


Can I please get a waffle?

by Jacd



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Crack, Drabble, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Music Student Harry Styles, Non-Famous Harry, Non-Famous Louis, One Shot, Self-Indulgent, Waffle House, for now, kind of, nododys famous okayyyyyy, they go to UCLA, this is inspired by that vine, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 19:26:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13441656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacd/pseuds/Jacd
Summary: When Harry walked into Waffle House, all he wanted was something to eat. He walked out with something so much better.





	Can I please get a waffle?

 

Neon light illuminated the sidewalk as Harry stumbled along, humming to himself and feeling very good. It was well past midnight, but there were still various people meandering about. There were people walking alone, and people clustered into groups talking boisterously to each other. They were mostly young, like him, and Harry nodded at them as he passed, sometimes slurring out a “Hello", sometimes just waving. He wasn’t sure if they responded, as he had continued on his journey before he could see their response.

Harry stopped abruptly. _Journey to where?_  A younger couple sent him strange looks as they passed. Harry didn’t try to send them a smile or greeting, he was too busy trying to remember where he was supposed to be going.

“Hmmm,” Harry hummed to himself as he looked around at his vaguely familiar surroundings. He wasn’t quite sure where he was. He looked back toward where he was walking from. “Oh, yeah,” he drawled out slowly, suddenly remembering. The club! Liam had taken Harry to the new club he’d found. Where was Liam? Harry looked around, but his thoughts where interrupted by a loud rumbling emanating from his stomach. Harry was quite hungry, and, as he rubbed his stomach, he determined that it must be the cause of his wandering! Harry smiled, relieved that he’d figured it out, and continued down his path.

Harry finally came to a stop under a cascade of light, yellow in color. The light draped itself across the – now much emptier – sidewalk, the unlit streetlamp, and Harry, himself. Harry tilted his head back with a smile and basked in the neon luminescence, like one would bask in the rays of the sun.

His stomach rumbled again, accompanied by a pang of hunger, and his easy smile was replaced by a slight frown and a look of determination. He moved forward, pushed through the door, and stepped inside.

The inside of the Waffle House was filled with people, mostly rambunctious teenagers and slightly older people who stopped here at the end of their night out. Harry’s eyes were drawn to a girl digging into a plate of fluffy, golden waffles. His mouth watered as he traced the path of the syrup as it flowed down the side of the waffle.

Another stomach pain jolted Harry into movement. He approached the front counter quickly, but there wasn’t anyone manning the registers. Harry frowned. A loud clanging caught Harry’s attention; it was followed by two loud, angry sounding, voices. Harry moved closer to the noise, hoping to find someone who could take his order. He moved further down the bar, and then leaned between an empty bar stool and a guy who was occupying one.

Harry saw what the commotion was. Two workers seemed to be engaged in a disagreement. They were yelling at each other about something that Harry couldn’t understand. His stomach rumbled loudly. Normally, Harry wouldn’t want to interrupt, but he really was hungry.

“Can I get a waffle,” Harry called out loudly and grimaced as one of the employees got in a good hit. “Erm, can I please get a waffle?” He tried, again.

“Good luck with that, mate,” a smooth voice said to Harry. “They’ve been like that for about ten minutes now.” Harry searched for the source of the voice. He looked to his right and frowned at the empty barstool. “Over here,” the voice said.

Harry turned to his left quickly, knocking into the man on the other barstool. “Oops,” Harry said dumbly, as the man struggled to maintain his balance. “Sorry,” he drawled out and placed a large hand on the other man's shoulder, as he tried to keep him from falling off completely.

“It’s alright, love,” the voice said. The voice, which belonged to this man on the stool, the one that Harry still hadn’t let go of, even though he was now fully balanced again, said. The voice that was coming out of plush, pink lips, that Harry was entranced by. He watched the lips form another sentence. “Are _you_ alright?”

Harry moved his gaze from the man’s lips to his eyes. Harry’s heart stuttered and his breath caught. The man’s eyes were blue like a cloudless midsummer sky, like the water of the pacific Harry had swum in yesterday, like something he could get lost in. When Harry finally looked away from the man’s eyes, he noted that he looked around Harry’s age, with smooth, tan skin, and a small worried looking smile. He was very handsome. Harry started after a moment, suddenly remembering the man had asked him a question. He couldn’t remember what it was, though. “Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you were alright,” the man said, his eyebrows pulling into an even more worried expression.

“Oh,” Harry said, and then replied, “yes!” Then his stomach chose to remind him of his imminent death via starvation. “Actually, no, I’m really hungry,” Harry revised. His stomach rumbled even louder as if to punctuate his point.

“Really?” the man said with a humoring smile.

“Yes,” Harry insisted, rubbing his stomach unconsciously. “I can’t seem to get their attention,” Harry gestured to the, still fighting, workers.

“No, I don’t suppose you’ll be able to,” the man agreed.

Harry frowned at that, staring into the middle distance, bemoaning the loss of his potential waffle. Harry hadn’t realized that he’d been swaying slightly until a warm hand squeezed his arm. Harry stopped and looked down at the hand. He followed it up to the handsome man sitting on the bench, who was still looking at him with concern, but there was a good-natured humor in his blue, blue eyes.  

“Why don’t you have a seat?” the man suggested. Harry slowly sat down in the unoccupied chair. When he was seated, the man turned to him. He slid a plate, one that Harry hadn’t noticed before, over to him. On the right side of the plate was a waffle, sliced into four triangles, all gathered together. The other side of the plate was empty. “You can have the rest of mine, if you’d like.”

Harry smiled a wide, bright, smile. He looked over at the kind, handsome, stranger. “Really?”

The man smiled at Harry’s expression. “Yeah, yes, it’s all yours.”

“Thank you,” Harry said, genuinely, still smiling wide.

Harry dug into the food, happily. It was cooling slightly, but it was still fluffy and well-buttered. Harry poured syrup onto the empty side of the plate, then dipped a waffle slice into it and ate it. He moaned loudly. This had to be the best waffle Harry’s ever had. There was a small cough to his left, but Harry was too busy enjoying his food to notice.

When he was finished, Harry sighed happily. His stomach was satisfied. Harry pulled a napkin out of the dispenser and wiped his hands and mouth. The edges of his awareness were clearing, the waffle helping to sober him up a little.

“Better?” the man asked.

Harry looked at him with another dimpled smile. “Yeah, much, much better,” he said. “Thank you.”

The man looked pleased when he reached his hand out for Harry to shake. “I’m Louis.”

“Hi, Louis,” Harry said. “I’m Harry.”

They were both smiling when they shook hands.

“You wouldn’t perhaps know where we are, would you?” Harry asked. Now that he’d sobered up somewhat, he decided it might be best to know how to get back home.

“Waffle House,” Louis said, laughing. “You really are on a right one tonight, aren’t you?”

“No,” Harry laughed. “I _meant_ what part of the city. How far are we from UCLA?”

“You a student?” Louis asked. Harry nodded. “I am, as well.”

“No way,” Harry said, happily.

“It’s true,” Louis said. “We are pretty far from campus, though. I was visiting a friend of mine who lives out here. I can give you a ride back, if you’d like? I’m heading that way, too.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’d be amazing.”

“Alright,” Louis laughed. “Come on, then.”

 

Harry held the door for Louis as they walked out and Louis said a polite, “Thank you.”

It was still dark outside, but Harry wasn’t sure what time it was. He patted his pockets as they walked and sighed when he realized they were both empty. He’d lost his phone again.

“Louis?” he asked. Louis turned to him with a questioning gaze. They matched steps. “Do you have the time?”

Louis pulled his phone out of his pocket to check. “Almost four A.M.”

Harry hummed in response.

When they got to Louis car, he unlocked the passenger’s side first, and held the door for Harry. Harry thanked him as he slid into the black leather seats. When Louis sat down in the driver’s seat, he started the car and promptly backed out the parking spot and headed toward the street.

“So, Harry,” Louis started, and Harry looked over at him. He was looking ahead, out the windshield, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other busy rolling down the windows. The street lights lit up the inside of the car periodically and the cool night breeze blew gently through Harry’s window. It felt nice. “How long have you been at UCLA?”

“This’ll be my first year. I moved in early just to get used to things before the semester starts, but my friend Liam goes here, too, it’s his second year, so he’s been showing me around.”

“Freshman, huh? I can see it,” Louis said, cheekily.

“Hey,” Harry said indignantly, laughing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Louis laughed. “What are you majoring in, then?”

“Music,” Harry said. “What about you?”

“Theatre,” Louis said.

“Really?” Harry said, and then, “I can see it,” in the same tone Louis had used.

“Hey,” Louis said, sounding even more indignant than Harry had, and slapped Harry’s shoulder lightly.

They both laughed. Harry leaned his head against the seat and looked over at Louis. His jaw was sharp and his cheekbones were otherworldly. Harry could possibly look at him forever.

“What?” Louis asked, after noticing his gaze.

“You’re very handsome,” Harry said very matter-of-factly.

“And you, my friend, are _very_ drunk.”

“That may be true,” Harry conceded. “But I’m still right.”

“Sure, okay,” Louis humored him.

“Louis,” Harry dragged the word out slower than molasses.

“Harry,” Louis returned in the same tone, only sparing him a quick glance.

“I am right, I am,” Harry said, in a sing-song voice. It was very out of tune.

Louis laughed. “Alright, superstar,” he said pulling into campus. “Which dorm are you?”

“Um,” Harry said as he thought hard. “I forgot the name. It’s the big one.” Harry stuck his head out of the window to get his bearings. “Yeah, that one!” he said and pointed.

It was quiet when they pulled up to Harry’s dorm, both inside the car and outside. Harry turned to Louis and thanked him for the ride, but he didn’t want to get out just yet.

There was an awkward silence.

“You’re welcome,” Louis said.

Harry leaned forward impulsively. This close to Louis he could hear the breath catch in his throat. Harry paused. His eyes flicked from Louis’ mouth to his eyes and back again. Harry leaned further.

The kiss was soft, tentative, and when Louis kissed back it was equally as soft. But it was so, so perfect. Before he could deepen it, Louis pulled back. Harry opened his eyes slowly. Louis was looking at him with a gentle expression. “It was nice to meet you, Harry,” he said.

Harry took that as he cue to get out. After he shut the door, he leaned into the open window. “Maybe I’ll see you around?”

Louis laughed and smiled fondly. “If you’re lucky,” he said and winked.

As Harry watched the car pull away, he smiled to himself.

He felt lucky already.  

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> hahahaahhaha, i was watching another rip vine compilation and this idea just popped into my head and it WOULD NOT leave! so i wrote it out. I'm a long time fan, but this is my first fic in this fandom. I'm pretty busy this semester and i'm not sure where i would take this story, so i just left it as a oneshot. I might continue if i find the inspiration lol
> 
>  
> 
> Leave a comment if you like & thanks for reading <3 <3 <3


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